From Chaos to Commerce: Practical Issues and Research Opportunities in the Nonlinear Dynamics of Decentralized Manufacturing Systems

Many potential applications for artificial intelligence (AI) in manufacturing extend classical AI in two ways. First, they go beyond modeling a single decision-maker to incorporate the interactions of multiple "agents." Second, instead of fitting a "problem solving" rubric that seeks to reach achievement goals, they are more aptly cast as "going concerns" that support maintenance goals in the face of continual disruption. The first extension is the focus of active research in multi-agent...